An on off sort of day

[anser2]

After a morning flight on the coast that produced a couple of mallard I arrived on a very exposed rape field that the pigeons have been hitting hard for the past week. About 500 lifted off as I started to set up using a magnet , 2 bouncers and 25 shell decoys , most on the edge of the rape and a few on a bare field next to the hide.

 

I had problems with hiding. There were no hedges so I set up a low hide in a beetle bank and covered it well with dead grass. As soon as I settled down a single pigeon came in and was shot. But after than a lot of the birds failed to commit giving rangy shots difficult shots as the pigeons slid past the fringe of the decoys. An hour later with just 6 birds in the bag for 15 shots I moved the magnet up wind of the hide onto the bare field. That worked a lot better with a number of birds coming right into the decoys. But it was a stop start sort of day. 5-8 chances , one after the other , then 1\2 and hour with the birds ignoring the decoys , before they switched onto them again. And so it went on all afternoon birds several coming right in to give easy shots then the next 10 bunches ignoring the decoy pattern. Finally packed after 4 hours with 38 in the bag so I was quite happy , but it should have been more. I was never sure if to leave the birds to come right in and risk them turning off downwind and out of range in a flash or take the birds as soon as they were within rangeso i missed a lot more birds than I should have.

Edited November 15, 2008 by anser2

[stoggyratler]

well done it sounds like you had a decent enough day just wish they were coming in like that for me up here in the york area

[nagantino]

38 birds is a good bag. Well done!

[Jim Sarakun]

HERE IN SUNNY CAMBRIDGE THE BIRDS ARE NOT COMMITTING TO THE DECOYS EITHER. AFTER SETTING UP WHERE THEY ARE FEEDING, (ON THE RAPE NOW) DROP TWO OR THREE, THEY MOVE ON. SO WE MOVE WITH THEM AND SAME THING HAPPENS, TILL THEY ARE BACK IN THE FIELD WE STARTED AT.

 

NOT ENOUGH GUNS TO SIT A MAN IN EACH FIELD AND WAIT FOR THEM, AS THE RAPE THIS YEAR HAS BEEN SOWN ON A PRAIRIE. GOOD FUN THOUGH, FALLING IN DITCHES AND GETTING THE SEAT OF YOUR PANTS CAUGHT UP ON BARBED WIRE FENCES. DROPPED MY SANDWICHES IN A COW PAT TOO, AND THERE WAS NO OTHER COW PAT DOWN THAT SIDE OF THE FIELD WE COULD FIND. MURPHY EH?

 

THEY ARE NOW IN THE BIG WINTER FLOCKS WE GET DOWN HERE, AND I TRIED TO TAKE A PHOTO TO POST ON HERE AS SEEING IS BELIEVING, BUT YOU JUST CANT SEE THEM CLEARLY. ON FRIDAY THE FLOCK WE WERE CHASING WAS THE LENGTH OF 30 SEMI DETACHED HOUSES WE COUNTED, AS THEY FLEW OVER THE TOP.

 

AFTER ALL THE BIRDS SHOT THIS LAST YEAR, MAKES YOU WONDER WHERE THEY ALL COME FROM. SO IF YOU LADS UP NORTH ARE HAVING SLIM PICKINGS, TRUST ME, THEY ARE ALL DOWN HERE, AND THERE SEEMS TO BE BIGGER FLOCKS EACH WINTER.

 

SO NOW WE ARE BACK TO THE SHORT DAYS AND THE HARD GRAFT THAT PIGEON SHOOTING CAN BE. FLAGGING THE FIELDS AND STAKING OUT THE BANGER TUBES THE NIGHT BEFORE, IN THE FIELDS WE DON'T WANT THEM IN. ALL GOOD FUN AND WORTH IT FOR THAT ADRENALIN SURGE WHEN THEY DO COME IN.

 

ANY TIPS FOR SHOOTING THESE PRAIRIES WOULD BE GRATEFULLY RECEIVED. ANY ONE ELSE NOTICED HOW THE FERALLS ARE IN ABUNDANCE THIS YEAR. PROBABLY NOT ENOUGH TOURISTS IN THE CITY TO FEED THEM NOW THE PARKING CHARGES HAVE GONE UP, SO THEY VENTURE OUT FOR A PORTION OF LEAD. HAPPY HUNTING......

[asap]

HERE IN SUNNY CAMBRIDGE THE BIRDS ARE NOT COMMITTING TO THE DECOYS EITHER. AFTER SETTING UP WHERE THEY ARE FEEDING, (ON THE RAPE NOW) DROP TWO OR THREE, THEY MOVE ON. SO WE MOVE WITH THEM AND SAME THING HAPPENS, TILL THEY ARE BACK IN THE FIELD WE STARTED AT.

 

NOT ENOUGH GUNS TO SIT A MAN IN EACH FIELD AND WAIT FOR THEM, AS THE RAPE THIS YEAR HAS BEEN SOWN ON A PRAIRIE. GOOD FUN THOUGH, FALLING IN DITCHES AND GETTING THE SEAT OF YOUR PANTS CAUGHT UP ON BARBED WIRE FENCES. DROPPED MY SANDWICHES IN A COW PAT TOO, AND THERE WAS NO OTHER COW PAT DOWN THAT SIDE OF THE FIELD WE COULD FIND. MURPHY EH?

 

THEY ARE NOW IN THE BIG WINTER FLOCKS WE GET DOWN HERE, AND I TRIED TO TAKE A PHOTO TO POST ON HERE AS SEEING IS BELIEVING, BUT YOU JUST CANT SEE THEM CLEARLY. ON FRIDAY THE FLOCK WE WERE CHASING WAS THE LENGTH OF 30 SEMI DETACHED HOUSES WE COUNTED, AS THEY FLEW OVER THE TOP.

 

AFTER ALL THE BIRDS SHOT THIS LAST YEAR, MAKES YOU WONDER WHERE THEY ALL COME FROM. SO IF YOU LADS UP NORTH ARE HAVING SLIM PICKINGS, TRUST ME, THEY ARE ALL DOWN HERE, AND THERE SEEMS TO BE BIGGER FLOCKS EACH WINTER.

 

SO NOW WE ARE BACK TO THE SHORT DAYS AND THE HARD GRAFT THAT PIGEON SHOOTING CAN BE. FLAGGING THE FIELDS AND STAKING OUT THE BANGER TUBES THE NIGHT BEFORE, IN THE FIELDS WE DON'T WANT THEM IN. ALL GOOD FUN AND WORTH IT FOR THAT ADRENALIN SURGE WHEN THEY DO COME IN.

 

ANY TIPS FOR SHOOTING THESE PRAIRIES WOULD BE GRATEFULLY RECEIVED. ANY ONE ELSE NOTICED HOW THE FERALLS ARE IN ABUNDANCE THIS YEAR. PROBABLY NOT ENOUGH TOURISTS IN THE CITY TO FEED THEM NOW THE PARKING CHARGES HAVE GONE UP, SO THEY VENTURE OUT FOR A PORTION OF LEAD. HAPPY HUNTING......

Im glad someone else has the same headache as we do in this area, LOTS of setting up shooting ,moving. I cant help on the prairie issue either we got one field 240 acres ,it was rape last year and was a bitch

[Harnser]

Am going to have a go on the rape tomorrow .One field is attracting quite a large number of pigeons and shall hope to be able to shoot a few . The early rape shooting allways seem to be more hit and miss than the shooting later in the year or after a really cold period . I have done very well on a field of barley stubble that has not been sprayed off and is full of chick weed . shot another 89 on friday and must have lost another 10 or so hard hit birds that managed to make it across to the next farm . Will leave the stubble till about midweek and hope for another good day . harnser .

[Whitebridges]

That wasn't so bad anser2. Tricky old time of year. Like Harnser i've got a bit of chick weed and i'm off work this week so i'll give it a go if they're still having it.